Hopkins, Minn., native Kim Krattley ’20, was awarded the Phillips Scholarship for her proposal on how she would help to close the achievement gap in Minnesota.

The Phillips Scholars Program supports potential leaders with outstanding academic credentials who intend to dedicate a portion of their lives to community service. Each year, sophomores from 16 eligible private colleges and universities submit proposals outlining specific actions they would take to make life better for people with unmet needs in Minnesota communities.

“I loved what the foundation stood for and the thought that I was going to be able to represent the Phillips Foundation made me so excited for what was to come,” Krattley said.

Krattley was one of five students selected to receive the award, which includes a monetary scholarship for her junior and senior years at Concordia, as well as a stipend and project resource funding that will allow her to dedicate her time to develop her project.

“The proposal, which I will be executing in the summer of 2019, will be to provide a website, ‘College Connected,’ that will allow students and parents access to information on the college process,” she said.

This online resource will be especially helpful for first-generation college students like Krattley whose families are navigating the college selection and admission process for the first time.

“I’m proud that I will be able to represent Concordia in the Phillips Foundation,” she said. “I’m also humbled by this award after hearing and reading about all the scholars that came before me. I feel very lucky for the opportunity I have not only through the Phillips program but also through Concordia.”

Krattley’s work as a Phillips Scholar begins this summer as she researches the needs of the community she hopes to support.